FOLSOM—A 32-year-old cold case involving the kidnapping and sexual assault of a young camper near Folsom Lake has finally been resolved, as a man already convicted in one of California’s most infamous crimes has now pleaded guilty to the earlier assault.
Matthew Muller, now 48, admitted to the 1993 kidnapping and sexual assault of a teenage girl in a wooded area near Folsom Lake. Muller was 16 at the time of the attack, which occurred when he used a gun to threaten two young campers in their tent. According to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Muller tied up the male victim and forcibly carried the female victim away to sexually assault her. He later confessed the crime to law enforcement, but the case remained cold for decades due to insufficient evidence—until now.
The case was revived and solved thanks to modern forensic analysis and the persistent work of the District Attorney’s Cold Case, Science & Technology Unit. Muller was transferred to adult court and formally charged after newly developed evidence linked him directly to the Folsom crime. He pleaded guilty on June 18, 2025, and was sentenced to 11 years to life in state prison.
That sentence will be served consecutively to two existing terms: a life sentence in Santa Clara County for assault with intent to commit a sex crime, and a 40-year federal sentence for the 2015 kidnapping of Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, a case that drew national attention. The Vallejo incident initially led police to falsely accuse the couple of fabricating the crime, a misstep that became the subject of the Netflix documentary American Nightmare.
In that case, Muller broke into the couple’s Vallejo home, drugged and blindfolded both victims, and later raped Huskins while she was held captive for two days. The couple’s account was initially dismissed by authorities as a hoax before investigators later confirmed it as a genuine and horrifying crime. Muller’s pattern of violent, calculated assaults spanned decades and jurisdictions.
“This case is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of justice never ends,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. “Matthew Muller’s admission to the horrific kidnapping and sexual assault of a young girl in 1993 brings long-overdue justice for the victims. Thanks to the continued efforts of law enforcement, a dangerous sex offender is being held responsible for his crimes in our community.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Ore, who credited the breakthrough to the relentless work of cold case investigators and new scientific tools that continue to help resolve historic crimes.
Muller’s violent past, combined with the national spotlight on the Vallejo case, makes the resolution of the Folsom crime a critical milestone for the victims and the justice system.
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